Happenings and Adventures in the Bristolwood

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There, I *almost* feel better. Seriously, I am feeling so beat. It is hard for me to understand how some people feel totally recharged by the sun and heat, and others like me feel totally drained of all energy. I realize the heat we are experiencing really isn’t that bad, as we have relatively low humidity and it is very breezy here in the Bristolwood. I just don’t feel very much like doing anything.

We discovered a real headache last week, too…I went down to look inside our camper and saw what looked like mushrooms growing in one corner. When I went inside, it was obvious there was a problem as the camper smelled musty. It happened that our friends Jeanne and Ben came by the day I made this discovery and Ben graciously offered to help us. I always think it is an amazing blessing to have friends that want to help out and Ben happens to be not only a woodworker, but an engineer as well!

Mark called our insurance company about the problem and found that our comprehensive policy covers mold. We had a company that removes molds come and the estimate made me nearly drop. Mark and I talked about it with the kids and they said they thought we could do it ourselves. Mark called our agent and she gave us a go ahead, so Saturday, Ben and our Ben began carefully removing the carpet (which looks like a total loss) and then the wall panel where the leak is.

The professional guy that came to give us an estimate told us there was a 75% chance of uncovering black mold. Well, the guys had a big fan blowing air out of the camper, the area was securely taped off from the rest of the camper, and every precaution was observed. Thankfully, behind the wet wall board was wet insulation. That was it. There was some mold, but it didn’t look at all like black mold as shown in images on the internet.

Thank the Lord for low humidity in spite of these high temperatures! We sprayed a mold inhibitor all over the wall…all over every exposed area, actually. We even sprayed again and then ran the fan aimed at the wet wall. Today, it was vastly improved!

Ben came over again and he, our Ben, and Michelle, worked like troopers! Mark made a special board with carpet backing so Michelle could perch on top of the camper and look for leaks in area around vents and openings. She replaced a broken vent cap in the bedroom ceiling and replaced the special caulk around the Fantastic Fan in the bathroom.

The corner where the water had been collecting was rotted out. The floor was cut out and Ben and Ben worked on restoring all the damaged areas. Apparently, the leak had been there for quite some time.

Our friend, Ben, went all around the perimeter of the camper, inspecting and filling all compromised areas of caulk. He found only a couple of suspicious areas and ficed them. It was amazing seeing everyone working together so well! There was no way I could do the work that Ben, Ben, and Michelle did. The sun has been so exceedingly hot and the temperature is hovering right at about 90. That is a recipe for dizziness and misery, so I am just so grateful for all this work being done!

I haven’t been sitting about idly. I do try to help out as a “gofer” and I try to make some good lunches for the hungry crew!

Ben and Jeanne have been such amazing friends!!! Ben plans to come over once again tomorrow and hopefully things will be dry and ready to put back together again! I really thank God for such a dear and kind friend! When I asked Ben how we can ever repay him, he told me “You can’t! I just like to putter!”

When we were at my parents’ home last Tuesday, I took a funny picture of a Cardinal. I am not sure if it is a female or a young male….

The bird had just landed on the feeder!

Well, that is about it for now. As you can see, this has been a busy weekend. We went shopping yesterday afternoon after finishing up on the camper and didn’t get home until evening. We still need just a few more things, so a trip tomorrow morning is in order. Busy busy. But I must admit….after yesterday, I was unsure the camper was ever going to be the same. We used a product that is odorless but kills mold and prevents its return. I was shocked at how clean everything looked today!

My goodness!!! Usually by this time each year, we have taken the camper out for a weekend or two, but not so this year. We are so busy, it seems we are constantly on the run. The poor little camper is left sitting in its winter parking spot with weeds growing around it! Help!!!

On Sunday afternoon, we were back at my mother-in-law’s house. The kids worked on getting a coat of paint on the primer they did last Friday. It was hot and humid so I (generously or cunningly???) offered to wash her awning. Mark said the awning isn’t retracting properly…it is motorized….so the scallop on the front was full of lichen and algae. Yuck! I dry brushed it first making a terribly dusty mess from the lichen. Then I used RV awning cleaner. It really did remove a lot of the stuff, but some lichen still remains.

After we finished up at Mark’s mom’s, we took a ride to Turning Point Park. This is a park that runs along the Genesee River and has a great path for biking and hiking. Some of the photos are from that hike, while the Hummingbirds and others are from home. If you hover over each photo, a brief description appears

I hope this entire summer isn’t spent being quite so busy, but if it is, I will be off with the camera, trying to make the most of it!

Wow! This hardly seems like October. With temperatures pressing near 80 degrees, it hardly seems like fall! Well, the thing is, we all know this isn’t going to last, right?

This morning, I awakened to a chorus of tree frogs screeching out their raspy song. I got up with the Soctties and was pleasntly surprised at the mild temperature as we stepped out the door! The sun just poured out all day today and it was so incredible with the vivid colors of fall, lighting up the sky against a backdrop of sapphire blue skies. Oh, so beautiful!

We had dinner a bit on the late side. I made Old Fashioned Chicken and Dumplings. It was after 6:30 by the time everyone sat down. I had set the table on the front porch….hy should we eat inside when it is so mild after all? I lit a candle and we just enjoyed the entire experience. Apparently, eating outside makes everyone a bit more hungry than usual. Although my BIG Crockpot was nearly full when I placed it on a small side table, there were hardly any leftovers!

We topped dinner off with Indoor S’mores! Okay, you twisted my arm….here is the recipe.

Indoor S’mores

8 cups Golden Grahams Cereal

1 12 ounce bag Milk Chocolate Chips

4 Tablespoons butter

1 bag mini-marshmallows

1 teaspoon Vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, melt butter, chips, and mini-marshmallows. Stir constantly and do not leave pan unattended! After butter, chips and marshmallows are melted, add vanilla, then add cereal and mix well. Place in 9 x 13 inch pan and refrigerate until cool. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Mark says these are SICK! (as in delicious!) This is an awesome little treat to have on hand if company is coming and you don’t have lots of time to spend making goodies. I think most everyone would like these!

Here are a few more photos I took on Friday afternoon. (I was too lazy to get the card from my Nikon camera!

I wish I would have taken a drive to see all the pretty leaves today, but Michelle and I did some cleaning in the camper. Yes, it seems like we were just getting the camper ready for spring, and now it is time to store it away once again until next year’s adventures!

I have been getting up every morning at about 6 am. That seems to be around the time that Murphy’s “alarm” goes off, and he gently alerts me it is time to arise and shine. I don’t mind at all, as I have always been a fairly early riser.

After getting up, I took the Scottie boys out, fed them, then took them out once more.

We have been having a little trouble with well water…namely, it runs out! The past couple of weeks, we have been on conservation mode, and we have been doing okay. We usually run out at about 5 pm, then by 8 pm, the water returns. Since no one uses water overnight, we have a good supply once again in the morning. This can be tricky, and even frustrating, but it is working out. Hard to believe we have shortages when we have gotten quite a bit of rain, though.

Well, this morning, I went to the basement and washed several clothes. We have a little hand washer similar to this that is incredible…You use the warmest/hottest water you can and just spin the little bugger a few minutes. It really does a terrific job and then I rinse and throw the clothes into the washing machine to spin dry. It sounds crazy, but clothes come out very clean. When you release the pressure off the top, it is not unusual for it to *pop*! This also uses little water and detergent. I washed what would be a large load. It took four of my little loads, but I don’t think I used ten gallons of water.

While the clothes were spinning in the washing machine, I went outside and checked the lawn. It was dry, so I grabbed the lawnmower and began mowing. I didn’t do the entire yard…..just where the grass had grown out of control in front of the house and the side yard. I came inside and looked at the clock and laughed. After all….it was 7:38 am!

Once I got the clothes from the washing machine into the dryer, I went outside to the camper and unloaded several armloads of stuff we hadn’t brought in last time we camped. I vacuumed the camper, then used a carpet cleaner my mom gave me to clean the carpet and a chair in the camper. I have always cleaned the rug and chair every time we come home, but the machine took far less effort and time! It also smells so nice!

Soon the clock said 11:30, and it was time to take Michelle to Rochester. That was great, as by this time, I felt like I needed a nap! While Michelle was at school (for only one hour!) we went over to Aldi so I could pick up a few things we needed. There was a Sprint store right next door, so we hopped on over there to check out some new cell phones. Wow! Ours look so antiquated! While at the store, Michelle called, asking where we were.

After picking her up, we went to Bill Gray’s for hamburgers. Oh my, they were so good! We shopped at a couple more stores, then were off to Home Depot in Victor. Mark took the more scenic route along the Erie Canal and I was so thrilled he did!

As we were driving, we saw a huge older wooden boat just cruising down the canal. I asked Mark to stop and he did. As I was getting out of the truck, Ben pointed to a Great Blue Heron not too far off.

I got to the canal just in time to see the big boat passing by, creating really massive waves! Well, okay, maybe not “massive”, but they were very large for the canal!

The fellow on the left waved! Wow….just boogeyin’ down the canal with not a care. And….

as she passed, we saw she was called Whatever it takes II from Cleveland, Ohio. Yikes! Cleveland isn’t exactly a stone’s throw!

So, back to the Great Blue Heron.

Would the bird simply stay put as the boat passed, or would it fly off before I could get a decent shot? After all, this boat was pretty big and it sure was making itself known with those waves!

Hmmm….apparently, the bord has seen bigger vessels before! Even the big yellow barking dog onboard didn’t bother this feathered observer.

The bugger seemed more annoyed by me than by the fast-moving boat. The heron crouched down, looking as though it might consider “lift-off”, so I kept my distance, but moved closer to the water to get a better view.

I guess coming out into the open, this fellow considered I wasn’t so big a threat, after all. And so,

He just casually, leisurely, strutted off!

We got home and I quickly heated up some tomato soup and a vegetarian dish I made last week. Everyone ate…I washed the dishes…and by about 7:45, I headed on upstairs.

I watched a Buffalo Sabres preseason game in which they played the Carolina Hurricane. We won, 3:1. I am so happy to see hockey again! The fact that our team won, icing on the cake!

Last Sunday, we had planned to take a little trip as Michelle begins college soon. Tomorrow soon! Yes, tomorrow is Labor Day and the United States of America rests and pays tribute to its laborers. However, Rochester Institute of Technology begins their fall classes on Labor Day! One of life’s mysteries, I guess….

But I digress.

Michelle went with her boyfriend, Jacob, to his church picnic last Sunday at the county park located just a couple of miles from our house. She came home early at four, and off we went on our little adventure.

We drove to Allegany State Park where we stayed until Friday. Although we had planned to relax, we were busy every day! It was very nice, though! The weird thing in all this is that I really didn’t take many photos. This was our little niche in the world from Sunday night until Friday noon.

I always end up chuckling about us spending time at campgrounds because of the fact that we live in the woods. Most of the folks I have met at campgrounds are city dwellers who are so appreciative of the fact that they can escape to the sanity of a less stressed and hurried lifestyle, only if it is for a couple of days sometimes!

On Monday, we explored the park a bit. Ben remembered how we visited Thunder Rocks this past winter on the snowmobiles and he wanted to return to see them now. I am not sure we have rock formations like this around our area, so I forget how massive they are until we visit them again! (Hoping you don’t mind seeing our kids over and over!)

Fly Tweetie, fly!

After our stop at Thunder Rocks, we passed by Science Lake. Not sure how the lake came to have that name, but it sure is pretty. There were a couple of young men fishing there….the lake has trout in it. Please forgive so many photos…I could not choose which to show. As you can see, this was a day of perfection, weatherwise! It could not have been a nicer day!

Science lake is a manmade lake, thus it has a spillway to keep it from getting unruly! That was quite a drop!

After visiting Science Lake, we were on to see the bear caves. Yes! There are many black bears living in the park, although I saw n’ary a one. Drat! I would love to have some bear photos. There is an area where campers take their trash that is filled with several dumpsters. The area is surrounded by electric fencing to discourage said bears from pillaging!

I remember as a child seeing bears at a dump area of the park. People would drive there in cars and throw food from their windows to feed the bears! Yeah, hard to believe.

That little hike to the bear caves was pretty strenuous for this “picture-taker”! I was getting tired! We had to take out Little Bear (Angus) along for the walk, as Mark refers to him as a bear cub! He enjoyed the cruise through the woods, too.

On Tuesday, we went to visit with my family. It was another beautiful day and we really enjoyed the time spent together until dusk when the mosquitoes came out for their bloodlust fest! These days were so much fun, but passed by much too rapidly….

Yesterday morning, I got up and went to work right away on the rubber roof of the camper. At some point, we had developed a leak inside the camper and I was pretty sure there was a problem on the roof. Mark said the roof should be cleaned, so he read up on the process and found Tilex is good to use for cleaning it. We picked up an industrial strength bottle at Lowe’s, so I was anxious to get busy.

Michelle had moved a ladder around the camper a few days ago, snapping photos of sections of the roof. She and Mark reviewed them and saw a spot or two that looked suspicious. As I worked on that roof, it was incredible to see the color change from grey to white! Mark said the company that makes these roofs recommends washing them three or four times a year…..YIKES! It has been awhile since the last time I was up there!

As I worked, I was antsy to get to the refrigerator vent. I was convinced that the leak was there as when it rained, water would drip down in the cabinet below the vent. It didn’t take long to see the problem once I got to the back side of the vent….

The big long dark “crack” in the center of this photo is where the rubber roof actually came away from the caulking that kept it water tight! After I finished cleaning the roof, Michelle (excellent cake decorator!) went up with a tube of caulking and fixed that area up better’n new! The test came last night. We had a few downpours that would have left water in the camper, for sure! When I got up this morning, I went out and ran my hand inside the cupboard….it was bone dry! Phew, that was an easy fix!

As I was looking through the photos on this SD card before uploading them, I saw a few photos from Genesee Country Village and Museum that might be worth sharing. There are several really nice sculptures there and I had never been able to get a decent photo of the two horses before. This time, I took my time and took many photos from all different angles till I came up with a photo I like! Oh, and the flowers are from near the gazebo on the main green.

As we were leaving the village while we were there, I spotted a wild grapevine growing along a fence….

These remind me it won’t be long until the grape harvest in all the Finger Lakes region!

Since we were at the village on my birthday, Erin went into the gift shop with her dad and Sarah. When she came out, she handed me this really cute little Scottie dog! He rode home on the dashboard of the truck. What a cute present!

And, speaking of Scotties….I got this one of Murphy resting in my Nikon camera bag the other day! Both he and Angus love this bag. No idea why! I got my snazzy new backpack/camera bag and it blows the doors off this “ragbag”! I actually got the bag together with an extended camera warranty and lens. It was a three-for deal that was too good to pass up. The only thing is, the bag has very little padding and has developed a hole where the top closes. I have found cardboard and paper with Chinese writing on it leaking out the hole. It really was time for a new bag!

Now randomly from my front garden….

After spending a few hours cleaning the rubber roof last night, I was anxious to clean the awning today. It had gotten pretty ugly with lots of black mildew spots on it. I dragged out the ladder and began working away. I found awning cleaner and a scrub brush did miracles on removing much of the spotting. As I finished up the highest part, Ben came out and helped clean the rest. It took the two of us a little over an hour. I think had I still been working alone, I would still be out there!

Now the little camper is about as clean on the outside as on the inside. The work is strenuous, only because I find myself working from a ladder!

With the hurricane threat, I pray for folks up and down the east coast. From all I’ve read, this is pretty unusual, but they have had to deal with hurricanes before. Our forecast doesn’t show any rain although I am wondering if it will change. Seems when this happened previously, we got wind and lots of rain!

Last evening, I went for a little walk down to the lake at the campground. I wanted a photo for my journal since I had missed the day before. No matter how hard I tried to connect, I just could not. Bound and determined to get a “Blip”, I found a rather cute (or ugly!) capture. Thankfully, it published just fine last night.

While I am at it, here is the photo that did not upload the night before. These ducks were at Darien Lake Park.

Okay, so back to last night. After my frog photo, I walked back to the campsite when what should happen to be parked directly kitty-corner to our site?

Yes! That is a Scotty camper that is a 2010 remake of a camper produced in 1963. As I looked at it, I noticed Scottie statues placed here and there. Sure enough, guess what ELSE was there?

That is Flora,the Wheaten Scottie, and her brother, Murdo, a Brindle. On the Scottie forums, when a Scottie lies down with his legs straight out like that, it is called “froggin'”!

I spoke to the friendly couple who owned the camper and pups. They were so happy to hear about our Scotties, too! They are both of Scottish descent and Frank plays the bagpipes! Of course they would have a Scottycamper and two Scotties!!! It was so fun talking with them. They gave me a card and we are going to keep in touch.

Before we left this morning, Bonnie and Frank came over and took a picture of Michelle and I with Angus and Murphy! I really enjoy camping because one often meets such nice people!

I am still trying to recouperate from our little vacation. We weren’t gone that long, but it was a bit of a touch and go trip home on Sunday.

We had a wheel bearing go on the front right wheel on Saturday. Mark thought about going to a Chevy garage that was open until 6pm on Saturday, but decided he would like to try to do the job himself. Ben was willing to help out and Mark thought it would be doable.

We hitched up on Sunday morning and went to the Sabres Development Camp. We really enjoyed watching the young prospects drill and then scrimmage on Saturday and Sunday. We have been attending these camps for a few years now and have seen several players become Buffalo Sabres.

After the camp, we began our very slow way home. We would drive about 30 miles or so, then stop to allow the wheel to cool off. It took hours to get home, but we were so thankful to arrive safely.

Yesterday, the temperatures soared into the 90’s, making me totally miserable. Mark’s mother had a doctor’s appointment in Rochester at 9:30am, so Mark and I were off early in the morning, once again praying the wheel wouldn’t let loose. We took my mother-in-law to her appointment, then picked up the parts and tools we needed to fix the wheel bearing. Thankfully, our faithful truck brought us safely home once again.

At this point, I must add that the Explorer is at the Ford garage, getting nearly $1500. in repairs. I am of the mindset that we should put it up for sale right away and get something with good gas efficiency. We will see. The Explorer is a 2002 model and although it has low milage, it is getting old. We will be doing some driving when Michelle begins RIT, so it would be good to have a sipping versus guzzling vehicle.

Today was another blazing hot day, although tonight, it is beginning to cool to the point that it is getting comfortable. Mark and Ben began working on the hub today, but parts seem quite fused together. Mark cannot work for long periods of time, so they worked for just a few hours and quit. Mark is searching for info on how to remove the hub and I just pray he finds a good answer. With all this vehicle mess, it would be quite pricey to have two vehicles getting repaired!

Well, enough of that. I am not going to stress over things that I cannot control!

So, let me tell you about Lewiston!

As we were leaving our campground on Sunday, we realized we were really early, so Mark took the Lewiston exit. I was happy to poke around, as the last time we were there, it was raining. A lot!

Lewiston is referred to as “Historic Lewiston”. It is a beautiful little community with beautiful little shops lining the main street. Flowers adorn the lamp posts and there is a sense of a very old community. The buildings have a look of antiquity and were it not an early Sunday morning, I would have gladly slipped inside the shops to have a look….they are quite inviting! Why I didn’t take a photo is beyond me, except for the fact that we were pulling the trailer behind us and together, the truck and trailer are about 50 feet long…makes for some interesting parking!

Mark drove around and stopped in a large parking area….right near one of my favorite statues…the Freedom Crossing Memorial. I blogged about this previously.

Just beyond this memorial was a set of stairs. Well, curiosity got the better of me, and I hopped off in that direction. I went down….and down….and down some more! When I arrived at the bottom, I was on a driveway/walkway just above the level of the lower Niagara River. Oh, this was beautiful!

I walked along, meeting up with the Harbor Manager (I know that is the wrong name…I just cannot remember what the title was that was embroidered on his shirt.) What drew me was this…

This is The Black Pearl and cruises are available! I would love to go there and spend the day….the price of a one hour cruise is $35 per person…three hours is $75 per person. The boat has diesel engines to get it moving up and down the river, but I was told that once it hits the lake, it becomes full sails, a beautiful replica of a 1600’s ship. Wow, the directions my mind could go with that!!!

I spent considerable time looking around and talking to the Harbor man and another man. They told me the fishing for Muskies is excellent there. They said folks who fish there never divulge how big their fish caught were nor where they were fishing. Hmm….They also said hardly anyone fishes there as they just don’t even know about this.

I suddenly became aware that I had many, many stairs to climb to get back to my family who might just be wondering where I was! There was no way I was going to race up those stairs and I did notice a little addition off to one side with a bench…I thought perhaps they kindly put it there for folks who felt like they were going to drop from all that stair-climbing!

Since the family didn’t seem to be paying any attention to my winded self, I walked on over to see a restaurant that overlooks the water below. It is an interesting shape and I just wanted a closer look.

As I snapped a photo of the restaurant menu, (wow! Who ever would have mounted their menu on a story board in front!!! What an awesome idea!) the man who founded the restaurant came over and talked my ear off!

I learned the history of the restaurant as well as how it came into being! The restaurant was actually a coal silo that held coal for the steamships that used to travel the river. After steam engines were replaced, the silo sat vacant for years and years. While relatives from Minnesota were visiting with the man I spoke to, they observed the silo from the Canadian side of the river. They commented what a perfect day it was and the man said the only way it could be better was with an ice cream. The relative pointed to the silo and told the man he should consider turning it into an ice cream parlor. And that is the condensed version.

The silo is leased from the town of Lewiston and the man’s son now operates the business. He added a patio and outdoor picnic tables along with flowers and pretty landscaping. ( I was told the view here in the autumn is absolutlely breathtaking…umm….one would NOT have to sway me…I believe it!)

The ice cream parlor (proper) was moved from the silo to an 1860’s Canadian Railway caboose. The man explained that it took years to convince the town to approve the addition of the caboose.

Oh, by the way…that white house across the river? It was owned by Tom Selleck at one time.

Wow, I learned so much from listening to this fellow! He was like a walking encyclopedia! Oh, and by the way…the shape of the restaurant resembles a minaret mosque…the man lived in Istanbul, Turkey, for some 15 years!

I can’t believe I remembered so much of the conversation, but I do want to visit this restaurant. It was given a high rating by a Buffalo food critic (the fellow chuckled, saying she critiqued the atmosphere, the owner and his wife, the setting…everything, but never once mentioned the FOOD!). It also was featured on the show Man vs Food.

When Mark looked at the pricing, he was impressed. He said too bad we were leaving town….this would have been an awesome place to take the kids for lunch!

Okay, so that’s it for Lewiston. (I think I oughta get paid for this! Or, at least get ONE of the vehicles fixed for free!!!)

We aren’t in Kansas but it feels like we are in the desert! Mark said on the news last night, they told us we are experiencing a “heat wave”. Gee, do you suppose we could have surmised that on our own? The thermometer in the truck has been reading anywhere in the 90’s to 108 degrees. That is *hot*. Too hot. Even my summer-loving friends have been crying uncle in this little “spell”.

I won’t even begin to tell what has happened to my usual demeanor. Okay, so if you truly must know, think “dragon lady”……fire-breathing and all! Yes. I.am.miserable.

Well, the great news (that goes above and beyond just plain old “good”) is that we have been living in our little camper the past few days. The reason that is good is because the little camper is air conditioned!

It is that time of the year when we make the annual journey toward Buffalo for Sabres Development Camp. We get to see all the young Sabres prospects working on the ice. Even more, this year, we get to enjoy the fantastic cool temperature inside the ice rink! Believe me, it is fantastic!

If there is any downside to the camp, it is that the workout on ice is only an hour and a half or two. Now, if we could sit and watch these fellows play for maybe four or five hours….

Yesterday, we took Ben and Michelle to the Fort Niagara State Park where they went swimming in an awesome pool. There is also a pool dedicated to waterslides, so they could have even more fun in the sun and it is a short distance from the campground where we are staying. While the kids enjoyed their time splashing in the pool, Mark and I went for a ride.

We wound up in Youngstown, which is just “down the street” from the fort. I took a few photos there, but they look a bit junky as it is so hazy, everything looks blurry and out of focus!

The yachts above are located at the Youngstown Yacht Club, which is located right next to one of the sweetest public launches I’ve seen.

This is a beautiful little park. Amazing and beautiful!

That land on the other side of the water (only a few hundred yards) is Canada! Mark has come to the conclusion that perhaps we need to get the enhance drivers’ licenses so we can travel across the bridges. We kind of miss going on over to Canada!

Here are just three shots from the Sabres camp.

And in closing, here is a shot of Sabretooth, the Buffalo Sabres Mascot. Sabretooth was kind enough to pose just for me!

I hope the weather isn’t so incredibly hot where you are! And, if it is, please stay cool! I will!

Oh, and as far as Dorothy is concerned, home is NOT where I want to be right now. The air conditioned trailer is so pleasant. we get the added bonus of lake breezes, too, as the campground is on the shores of Lake Ontario.